


Rose of Valla

by Telana



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Birthright Spoilers, Conquest spoilers, Hidden Truths Spoilers, Multi, Revelation Spoilers, Time Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-06-08 08:41:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6847525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telana/pseuds/Telana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose has a secret, one that she has struggled to keep since following her Hoshidan siblings into battle with Nohr. When the dust finally settled, she thought perhaps she could accept her choice and those who lost their lives in the war. But when a strange invisible army attacks from the Bottomless Canyon, devastating Nohr and knocking at the borders of Hoshido, Rose finds herself questioning her choices and reaching out to change fate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

No one knew where the invisible soldiers marched from except that they first appeared in Nohr, near the Bottomless Canyon. They razed villages and burned homes long before a single village could get a messenger out. Countless lives were lost before the Nohrian royal family had been made aware of the attacks on their people.

By then, it was too late. All Leo and Camilla could do was take their retainers and flee Castle Krakenburg. They travelled quickly, hidden under cover of night and skirting around major cities, all ablaze with orange flames dancing against the starlit sky. Camilla and Odin flew together, while Beruka’s wyvern carried Niles. Selena, the lightest, rode behind Leo on his black mare.

They made excellent timing until they reached the Bottomless Canyon, which was swarmed with enemy soldiers. They made camp, such as it was, in a small cavern to wait out the daylight. The sun had just begun to set, casting warm shadows in the mouth of the cave. It wouldn’t be long before they would have to move.

Camilla had Beruka and Selena snuggled up against her, much to Beruka’s obvious discomfort. She kept wriggling around, trying to escape Camilla’s arms but to no avail. Odin was oddly quiet, drawing some manner of arcane symbol in the dirt with a stick, while Leo paced back and forth, mumbling to himself about potential strategies and means of crossing into Hoshido.

“King Leo,” Niles dropped down from outside the mouth of the cavern, landing with hardly a sound. His cloak was darkened with dirt and blood, but whose wasn’t? “It seems we’re in luck. There’s a path directly to the east that leads to the mouth of the canyon. There are a number of bridges, but they’re narrow and quite old.”

“Fortunately, we haven’t the numbers for that to be a problem,” Leo responded, smiling softly in relief.

“I wouldn’t get comfortable yet,” Niles interjected. “The enemy is coming directly from the mouth of the canyon.”

“How? No one has ever survived falling down!” Leo’s brow furrowed. Niles wouldn’t lie, not about something so dire, yet the possibility of soldiers coming directly from the bottom of the Bottomless Canyon unnerved him.

“If I had to guess, it would be their pegasus knights,” Niles answered. “But, from what I could tell, they’re only active during the day. Harder to spot archers at night.”

“Evidently, they also have difficulty spotting them during the day,” Beruka muttered from Camilla’s shoulder.

“Or I’m just that good,” Niles replied with a smirk. Beruka shrugged.

“At any rate, these winged mounts will be a problem,” Leo continued. “Never mind their numbers; we can easily avoid them in the air.”

“You’d be abandoning your mount.”

Leo nodded, fully aware of the fact. He’d had the mare since it was a foal, as both a gift from his father and a lesson in responsibility. King Garon had intended for him to specialize in mounted swordsmanship as Xander had. Instead, Leo took up the mantle of a dark knight, mastering the art of magic through tomes while also becoming proficient with a sword. It had taken years to train his mount not to shy away from his magic and Leo suspected he would never find a mare quite like this one.

Still, it couldn’t be helped. He could not afford to be sentimental about one horse when all of Nohr hung in the balance. His people needed him to bring reinforcements swiftly and Hoshido was the only nation he could rely on in this battle. He could only pray their messenger bird had reached Hoshidan capital safely.

“There’s more at stake than one horse. I must do what is right for Nohr, even when my heart is against it.”

Leo eventually settled on a plan just before sunset. Beruka would take Niles across the canyon first, settling him up on a ridge where he would have a good view of the canyon. Leo would then ride out to draw the attention of the pegasus knights while Beruka and Camilla carried Selena and Odin across. Niles would help pick off any pegasi that got close to Leo while Selena and Odin kept Beruka and Camilla safe. Once Selena and Odin were safely on the other side of the canyon, Beruka and Niles would pair up again to defend Camilla as she flew in to rescue Leo.

All in all, it seemed like the perfect plan. Niles got into position early, bow trained on Leo’s rear when the king rode out. His face was illuminated by the flames of Brynhildr, a sacred tome unearthed within a forgotten library of Nohr, but darkened with grim determination. Should any part of the plan fail, he would be the one to suffer the consequences.

Weathered planks creaked beneath the hooves of Leo’s mount. The noise should have given his position away even if he had not illuminated himself with Brynhildr’s light. Yet no one came. Not a flutter of pegasi wings nor thudding of soldiers’ feet came and, for a moment, Leo believed he had miscalculated somehow. He listened for shouts up on the ridge, but none came. Had the enemy abandoned this area?

And if they had, what had driven them away? What manner of beast or enemy army had deterred them?

A rumbling of stone to his rear quickly drew Leo from his thoughts. He spun around in the saddle to look for the source, but nearly all was pitch black. A low whistling in the air sounded just above Leo and his stomach lurched. He knew that sound. Someone had summoned Stoneborn, Nohrian golems notorious for launching boulders from behind flattened brass faces. He’d personally utilized them before to tear down fortress walls.

But who had summoned them?

The boulder crashed into the face of the cliff before Leo could warn the others. Rather than wait for the wyverns to come retrieve him, Leo spurred his mount into a gallop across the bridge, praying to whatever gods would listen that he could cross safely.

Darkness whipped past Leo’s face, a whirlwind of magic and despair flying towards him. Odin. Thank the gods. If he was the source, that meant Selena and Odin had already been moved to safety. They still stood a chance of making it out of the canyon alive. Just a few more yards to relative safety.

Just then, a boulder whistled a few feet above Leo’s head, crashing into the face of the cliff where the bridge connected a couple yards away. Instinct suppressed rational thought and Leo spurred his mare into a leap for the crumbling rock. Time seemed to slow as hooves skittered around on the falling rock, losing momentum and sliding backwards.

This was it.

This was how Leo would die. He could feel it as surely as he felt his heart pounding in his chest or the air filling his lungs.

Just as suddenly as he’d felt himself slip backwards, Leo felt something push his mount forward. Both Camilla and Beruka had their wyverns behind him, pushing him to safety. There was little time to call his thanks before another low rumbling and whistling in the air told them the Stoneborn had launched another boulder. Camilla and Beruka split up, guiding their wyverns down below the bridge while Leo charged forward along the path carved into the mountains.

Once he’d convinced himself he was deep enough into the mountains to have completely evaded the enemy, Leo lit a small flame in his hands to light the way. The path was too narrow for the wyverns to land and there was still enough of the night left to cover their escape. He just hoped one of the wyverns would be able to handle a third passenger.

Aside from the dull thudding of hooves, the rest of the journey was silent. Leo had slowed enough to give Beruka a chance to fly forward and scout the area ahead with Niles. Camilla, Selena, and Odin took the middle, crowded on Camilla’s wyvern, Marzia.

Eventually they reached a gap large enough for the wyverns to dip down and rest. Camilla’s wyvern, trembling with the strain of an extra passenger, landed with a thud as her wings gave out. Camilla dismounted immediately, reaching into a small satchel filled with strips of bear jerky. The rations were intended to tide her over until they reached a settlement that wasn’t ravaged by enemy soldiers, but Camilla thought Marzia had earned the treat. It was the very least she could do, after all.

Selena nudged Odin, reaching into her pouch and pulling out a strip of jerky, too. Odin eyed the meat suspiciously, then looked at Selena as if to ask what she was trying to say.

“Ugh, do I have to spell it out for you?” Selena rolled her eyes and held the piece of jerky out for Marzia, who snapped up the meat greedily. “Thanks for putting up with all three of us, buddy.”

Odin finally got the hint and pulled out some jerky for Marzia, too, and thanked her. The sight warmed Camilla’s heart and she made a mental note to keep that memory close should they all survive. Which, she reminded herself, they would. There was no room for doubt, not now. She had to stay strong to reach Rose; when they did, surely the tide would change in their favor.

“How odd,” she mused aloud, barely above a whisper. Neither of the two nations’ leaders were the ones to inspire confidence in her. Leo was beyond capable as a ruler and Ryoma was to Hoshido what Nohr had expected in Xander. Still, Camilla couldn’t help but feel everything hinged on Rose’s decisions, her actions.

“We’ve managed to make it out of the enemy’s path, it seems,” Leo spoke up, startling Camilla out of her thoughts. “With any luck, Beruka and Niles will have good news.”

Camilla nodded.

“We could really use some luck right now,” Selena mumbled, leaning back against the face of the cliff. She tried not to think about the invisible army behind them, tried not to think about what it could mean. But every time she closed her eyes, Risen ravaging her home were there waiting, like a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.

Just then, a loud flapping of wings sounded overhead and everyone looked up, expecting to see Beruka coming in. Instead, white wings, coated in dust and ash, guided a gilded pegasus to a running stop just before the group.

“Looks like you could use some help!” called the rider from the saddle, face obscured by a riding helmet. Behind her was another helmeted rider in white armor. “We’ve been flying all day to reach you!” She dismounted and pulled her helmet off, shaking a mane of wild red hair loose with a toothy grin.

“Lady Hinoka,” Leo greeted, smiling warmly. “It’s a relief to see you and so soon after our message was sent.”

“Huh? You sent a message?” Hinoka raised an eyebrow.

“A few days ago, yes.”

“Oh, well, uh,” Hinoka grinned sheepishly, “we were actually headed over to surprise you for your birthday.”

The second rider nodded and removed her helmet. Rose smiled warmly and slid off Hinoka’s pegasus, arms open wide for her brother and sister. Her dark red hair, once cropped short, had grown out again and jutted out at odd angles from being smothered with a helmet. Camilla swooped in and held Rose tightly, nearly weeping from joy.

“Gods, Camilla, I’m ok,” Rose teased, trying to lighten the mood to no avail. “Really.” Camilla looked Rose in the eyes, tears forming in the corners. “You can’t just start crying like that and expect me not to cry, too, you know.”

“Aw, look, Rose is all choked up!” Hinoka teased, nudging Rose in the side with a light elbow. “You look so cute when you do that!”

Camilla chuckled and dabbed at her eyes with her cloak, releasing her sister reluctantly.

“She really does, doesn’t she?”

“You two, I’m right here! I _can_ hear you!” Rose mock pouted. In truth, she was grateful that Camilla remained much the same as she had always been. Between losing Xander and Elise and now nearly all of Nohr, Rose wouldn’t have blamed her for becoming cold or distant. But Camilla had hardly changed at all.

“Hush, Rose,” Camilla cooed with a loving smile. “Just look pretty, dear.”

“Anyway,” Rose rolled her eyes and turned to Leo, “we ran into Beruka and Niles and they pointed us your way.”

“Yeah, lucky us,” Hinoka added. “We were headed straight for the canyon.”

“Which would have been bad.”

“Bad would be an understatement,” Leo muttered. Seeing Rose and Hinoka’s raised eyebrows, he continued, “I don’t know who, but someone summoned Stoneborn. Even assuming you could make it past the main army, the Stoneborn would have…” Leo sighed, burying his face in his hands. Wyverns were sturdy creatures, but pegasi would easily fall if hit by even one massive boulder.

“Leo,” Rose touched her brother’s shoulder gently, hoping the gesture would console him in some way. “We’ll figure all of this out, ok? There has to be a way to get Nohr back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Sup nerds! So, welcome to my first FE Fates longfic. And, uh, oh boy is it gonna be long. Know what the best longfic fuel is? Yeah buddy! Comments! I totally understand if you're not comfortable leaving one, but comments are the only way I can really know if you liked the chapter. So hey no pressure, but also please love me I am an attention-starved artist lol
> 
> Anyway, yeah, that's my little spiel about comments. Hope y'all are buckled in, because it's only gonna get bumpier from here on out!


	2. Chapter 2

Rose and the others traveled east for several days, stopping only to rest and warn villages near the canyon of the potential threat. More often than not, Rose and Hinoka met with the villagers before introducing Leo and the rest of the Nohrians. Though the war was already behind them, most still looked at Nohr with contempt, a bitter reminder of their lost queen. Rose suspected it would be many years before they could accept Nohr as an ally.

To keep the villagers’ fears at bay, they often made camp a significant distance from the villages they visited. It was uncomfortable sleeping out on the ground, but Rose insisted on keeping everyone together rather than splitting from Leo and the others. Before long, nearly everyone had started to fantasize about what they would do when they reached the Hoshidan capital. Camilla was already pining for a hot bath and a soft bed, while Leo was looking forward to seeing how much intel had been gathered while they traveled.

“I’ll just be happy when we can start routing out these… invisible soldiers,” Rose grumbled, poking at the campfire with a stick to knock loose some of the ash. A murmur of agreement sounded throughout the rest of the camp. “I wish I knew what they were. I’ve never heard of people being able to turn invisible, yet evidently they can.”

“Maybe we could corner one and make them talk,” Niles suggested with an exaggerated wink at Rose. Or was it technically a blink? Did it even matter? “I picked up a few tricks back in the day that… loosen tongues, if you catch my meaning.”

The rest of the camp groaned, but Rose snorted unbecomingly. She’d forgotten how much she missed his sense of humor, inappropriate as it could be. It would take all her willpower to keep from getting close to him again.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not going to help,” she responded, stifling another snort. “I mean, I’ve never heard their commanders give orders. They just… act. It’s unsettling, to say the least.”

“Oh? I would’ve thought you’d enjoy seeing people do things without being told,” Niles teased.

“What, because I’m ‘royalty’?” Rose rolled her eyes. “You are aware that I’m not just some spoiled princess, right?”

“Yeah! She totally kicked your butt, remember? My little sis is such a badass.” Hinoka chimed in, eager to defend her sister’s honor. Sure, she trusted Nohr, but Niles himself was still suspect, even if he was the king’s own retainer.

“Oh, believe me, I’m aware,” Niles assured her. “I still have the scar to prove it.” Niles tugged at his shirt to reveal a gnarled patch of skin. Some parts were smooth, like regular scarring, while others were a dulled red and looked almost as if the skin had been stretched too far.

Though seeing the scar made her stomach twist and turn, Rose found that she couldn’t take her eyes off it. That was her handiwork. That was the spot where she’d almost killed Niles. She’d been inches from not only taking a life, but taking _his_ life. Even after all the time that had passed between then and now, Rose couldn’t believe what she’d almost done.

A silence passed over the camp. Odin and Selena exchanged worried glances and Beruka stalked off into the woods, muttering something about not needing to be present for that discussion. Leo looked like he wanted to say something, but was at a loss as to what would be appropriate.

Niles, on the other hand, remained still, watching Rose’s expression shift. He’d expected maybe a quick, awkward apology, not this. The color had drained from her face and, for just a moment, Niles was certain she’d pass out. He’d already braced himself to catch her before she fell into the fire when Rose’s eyes widened and she jumped back off the stone she’d been perched on.

Just what was that?

“I’m sorry. Really spaced out there, huh? I’ll, um, be right back.” Rose dusted herself off hurriedly, avoiding Niles’s gaze. “Just have to, um, cool off.”

Before anyone could say a word, Rose darted off toward the river, face flushed with embarrassment. Leo, who had always been good at reading Rose’s moods, nudged Niles pointedly.

“Talk to her,” he said, nodding to the path Rose had taken.

“What? No, I should go!” Hinoka all but shouted.

“I appreciate your concern, Lady Hinoka, but this is between the two of them,” Leo explained evenly. “It would be best not to interfere.”

“Yeah, but,” Hinoka sighed. It was her fault for even bringing up the war. They were supposed to be past that. Nohr and Hoshido were allies now and it was uncalled for to dredge up the past like that.

“Lady Hinoka,” Niles spoke up, “I assure you, none of this is your fault. I crossed the line with my comments and sincerely apologize.”

“What? No, really, I messed up! This isn’t your fault!” Hinoka insisted.

“This was no one’s fault,” Leo reassured them. “Still, I think it would be wise for Niles to check on her. It’s dark and, while we’ve put some distance between the enemy and our camp, it would be unwise to leave her out there alone. Niles, please.”

“Of course.”

As he approached the riverbank, Niles found Rose crouched down at the water’s edge, gazing up at the sky with her knees drawn up against her chest. She flinched at the sound of the gravel crunching beneath his feet, but didn’t dare turn her head towards him. It was as if she was determined to keep her focus there rather than on Niles’s presence. Every step became a test; would she look at him this time?

“I’m a mess, huh?” Rose asked, smiling longingly up at the sky. “I thought I had it all under control and then…”

“Oh, don’t tell me you lost your cool over little ol’ me,” Niles teased, crouching down beside her.

Rose chuckled weakly. “Yeah, well, you have that effect on me, I guess.”

“You’re actually upset about the scar thing?”

Rose turned to look him in the eye. He’d been watching her intently the entire time and Rose knew it. She knew how he worked. Niles liked to goad people into revealing their hand before even hinting at his own. Rose knew better than to fall for his tricks, but, at the same time, found comfort in the familiarity of it all.

“Kind of?” she admitted, leaning back on her palms to sit down. “I mean, I know it’s probably not a big deal to you, but... Niles, you almost died. Because of me.”

“I was the enemy. That’s how it is.” Niles shrugged. “And, as I recall, you didn’t exactly leave me for dead.”

“Of course not! How could I?”

Niles grinned at her, a sign he’d pieced together some sort of evidence that would force Rose to reconsider her position.

“You didn’t kill me. You couldn’t even leave me to bleed to death,” Niles reasoned. “Rose, what’s this really about?”

“...I can’t say.”

“Because?”

“Because,” Rose answered slowly, trying to make sure she didn’t let something important slip, “I don’t entirely understand it, either. I’d rather wait until I know everything than spread false information just to placate you.”

“If you’re so sure it’s wrong, why are you so upset?”

“I’m not.” Rose knew she was being childish. She’d already said too much even though she’d barely said anything at all. Secrets always did make him more suspicious and she’d just admitted to having a big one. “Fine. Yeah. It bugs me. Probably more than it should.”

“Does it have anything to do with that kiss?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rose stammered, though she knew exactly what he meant.

 

* * *

 

_“Don’t you dare die on me!” she’d shouted, keeping pressure on the wound. Gods, it wasn’t stopping. The bleeding wouldn’t stop. She could’ve healed him if her staff hadn’t been blown to smithereens just moments earlier. “I won’t let you! You hear me, Niles?! You don’t get to die yet! I promised I’d come back and find you. I promised!”_

_His breathing was shallow and Rose knew she was losing him. Gods, it was all wrong. She hadn’t gone back just to lose him again. None of this was what she’d intended. If only she could heal him, or at least close the wound._

_A spark shot between her fingers, yanking Rose back to her senses. She shouldn’t be able to do that. Her magic should’ve been gone. It should be impossible without a tome, yet sparks danced across her fingers. If she could create a spark, she could make a flame._

_Quickly, Rose put a finger to Niles’s neck to check his pulse. Weak, but there. With some luck, this could work. All she had to do was focus on that spark and make it more._

_Please. Please work!_

_Rose scrunched her eyes shut and drew on that old feeling from the other world. The sparks grew wilder, hopping in a flurry of electricity that gathered in her palms. Then, just like that, the spark became a miniature inferno._

_Now all she had to do was control the flame enough to keep it from spreading and cauterize the wound. It wasn’t going to be pretty and no small part of her regretted that she would be adding another scar to his body, but all of that was overshadowed by the prospect of saving Niles’s life. He could hate her all he wanted as long as he just stayed alive._

_After what felt like an eternity, the bleeding had stopped. His chest was charred and coated with dried blood, but the bleeding had stopped. There was no way of knowing if that was enough to save his life, but, in that moment, Rose was so relieved that she kissed his forehead over and over. He stood a chance and that was all that mattered._

 

* * *

 

 

“Rose, I’m,” Niles sighed, “I’m not going to force you to talk about that. I’m just not used to being kissed by strangers in the middle of a battle. Buy me dinner first, at the very least.”

“Yeah, I know. I don’t kiss strangers, either.” Rose shifted uncomfortably.

“But you did.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did..?”

Rose took a deep breath. He was going to make her spell it out for him. Of course. She’d have to tell him everything. All of it. No more secrets.

“After mother… after Garon had me sneak that weapon into Hoshido, I had to choose between the family that raised me and my birth family,” she began, much to Niles’s confusion.

“Yes, and you sided with Hoshido,” Niles supplied, a bit impatiently.

“Yeah, but what would’ve happened if I’d chosen differently?” Rose asked. “I don’t just mean that I would’ve been in Nohr instead of Hoshido. What do you think would’ve changed?”

Niles paused for a few minutes, considering everything that had happened since that battle. “Everything. There wasn’t a single pivotal moment in the war before that choice.”

“Exactly. The world would’ve been completely different.”

“But what does that have to do with-”

“Niles, think about it. If we’d been allies during the war, is it such a stretch to believe we could’ve been… a bit more than allies?” Rose asked tentatively.

“This is all hypothetical, right?”

“If it was, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Niles’s gut reaction was to call her bluff, tell Rose that such an idea was impossible. But, gods, she didn’t look like she was trying to trick him. She genuinely believed the story she was telling him. But that didn’t make it the truth, right? There had to be some other explanation.

“Suppose I believe you,” Niles started, choosing his words carefully, “why would you know that? How would you know that even happened?”

“That’s where things get a little hazy. In that other time, we’d invaded Hoshido to take the capital,” Rose explained. “In the end, Ryoma challenged me to a duel. The winner would take the castle and no more blood would be spilled.” For a brief moment, Rose remembered the smell of the castle, foreign at the time and tainted with her brother’s blood. “I won, but I refused to kill him. But Ryoma, he... “ Rose’s voice cracked. “He took his own life rather than wait for King Garon to humiliate him further.”

“Rose…”

“Looking back, I probably could’ve lived with that if I hadn’t been so stubborn. I barely knew Ryoma at the time and I only felt the loss as someone who was obligated to mourn him,” Rose said, wrapping her arms around herself, both in an attempt to block out the cold and reassure herself. “But, back then, I thought I’d made a terrible mistake. Ryoma had taken his own life and Takumi was so consumed by his hatred of me that some sort of… spirit or demon possessed him. I had to find a way to make things right. By that point, it was obvious that King Garon was the root of all that had gone wrong. He was the one who’d ordered me to murder my own people… to cut down my own family.”

Well, that certainly sounded like the King Garon Niles had known. With him ruling over Nohr, it was no wonder the rest of the world thought them little more than barbarians, slaughtering friend and foe alike indiscriminately.

“Would you go back again if you knew you could?”

Rose had wondered the same thing over and over since losing Xander and Elise and Lilith. If she could remember how she did it, Rose wasn’t sure she’d be able to say she _wouldn’t_ go back. But to say for certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would go back and change things.

“I don’t know,” she answered. “I don’t think, knowing Ryoma as I do now, that I could go back and change my mind about wanting him to live. But I would give almost anything to have Xander and Elise back.” Rose sighed. “I just don’t think I’m the one who should decide that kind of thing. Clearly, both the choices I made weren’t all that great, you know?”

“I wouldn’t say that. In that other time, did you manage to end the war?” Niles asked.

“Yeah. Once we took the Hoshidan capital, it was over. And as soon as King Garon took the throne, everyone saw him for the monster really was. Even Xander agreed he had to be stopped,” Rose explained.

“Then you had to have done something right.”

“I guess.” Rose stretched her arms out in front of her then crossed them tight against her chest. “Anyway, it’s getting late. And cold.”

“I could keep you warm,” Niles offered, half joking. “I don’t just mean that as, you know, being me, but,” he paused, “it wouldn’t sit right with me for you to be alone right now.”

Rose smiled at him. It was a relief beyond measure knowing that, despite everything, he was still the same man she’d fallen in love with before.

“You have no idea how tempting that is,” she responded carefully. “Is there any way I could convince you to just let me go?”

“It’d have to be a _very_ convincing argument.” Niles smirked playfully.

Oh, she hated when he did that.

“How convincing?” Rose scooted closer, maybe just a bit too eagerly.

“Let’s just say you’re going to have a _hard time_ getting your way.”

“Oh gods, Niles, you’re the worst!” Rose snorted, smacking his shoulder in mock outrage. “You just lost your chance. Good night, Niles.”


	3. Chapter 3

Niles spent his watch mulling over what Rose had said, yet, when morning came, he was no closer to a more plausible conclusion than when he started. He’d gone over every word, trying to find some manner of inconsistency, something that would prove the story false. Nothing in particular seemed to contradict what he’d been told; if anything, there was proof she knew more than she should.

Still. A single piece of evidence wasn’t enough to make a decision one way or another. He’d need to wait, to watch for some sort of slip up. And she would eventually slip up. Everyone did.

And, if need be, Niles would gladly do some nudging.

So, as the group continued east, Niles sat back and listened closely to Rose’s conversations whenever he could, which was surprisingly often as she flew with Hinoka up at the front near him. The two sisters chatted about seemingly everything under the sun, from their siblings waiting at the capital to things they’d missed after Rose was abducted by Nohr.

“So, sis, when are you going to find someone and settle down?” Hinoka kept her eyes on the horizon, but it was clear to Niles her focus was anywhere but flying.

“I don’t know. Never?” Rose joked. For a split second, Niles could’ve sworn her eyes flitted over towards him.

“No, really! I mean, I know this isn’t exactly the best time to think about settling down, but-” Hinoka sputtered as the wind blew a chunk of hair into her mouth, “-ugh, don’t you think it’s about time to start at least thinking about it?”

Ah, there it was. The moment of truth, or at least a somewhat useful hint.

This time, Niles was certain she looked over at him and more than once. She squared her shoulders and clenched her jaw. How many times had she been asked this before? Did Hinoka regularly pressure Rose to find someone to marry? Were there dozens of would-be suitors lining up at the Hoshidan palace, begging for her hand?

The thought had never occurred to him before. Rose hadn’t married. All of her Hoshidan siblings had wed; he’d been to at least two of the ceremonies, accompanying Leo for diplomatic purposes. Most of her companions, from what he’d heard, settled down, too. But he’d never stopped to consider the fact that Rose hadn’t found someone. There could be at least a dozen reasons why she’d never married, but the only one that seemed to stick in his mind was the least likely to be true.

“I’m not avoiding it. I just haven’t had time to think about it seriously,” Rose insisted. “We’ve had a lot to work to do and these invisible soldiers aren’t helping.”

“I hear that,” Hinoka grumbled. “Is it too much to ask that things just stay peaceful for a change?”

“Apparently.”

The group continued travelling, significantly more subdued as they travelled on. Hinoka apparently knew better than to press Rose further and turned her attention to navigating the rest of the group. With luck, she’d said, they’d reach Fort Jinya by nightfall. She was starting to recognize landmarks, places she’d stopped with Rose when they’d first left.

With the prospect of a good night’s rest and a real meal in their bellies, the rest of the group seemed to perk up, particularly Camilla. When Beruka passed along the news, she and Selena shared a relieved smile and picked up the pace at the rear. Leo and Odin, too, were cheered by the good news, though significantly less than the others.

Odd. Niles expected Leo to be less responsive, but Odin was almost never so quiet. Perhaps, by some odd twist of fate, even Odin realized the severity of the situation. Yet, as he watched Odin fiddle with a piece of wood kept on a chain, it seemed as though there was more to the story. What that might be was anyone’s guess, but Niles made a mental note to keep a closer eye on him regardless.

“Hey!” Rose called down from behind Hinoka. “We’re going to make a quick stop at this creek up ahead!”

“Sounds good! We’ll meet you there!” Leo called back, then turned his attention to Niles and Beruka. “You two go ahead. We won’t be far behind.”

Before Niles could respond, Beruka had already pulled away. Her expression was unreadable as always, but for some reason, Niles got the distinct impression she wanted to give Odin and Leo some space. He didn’t say a word, though, and Beruka was seemingly content to continue on in silence until just before they landed.

“Stop being so obvious.”

“Obvious about what?”

Beruka sighed. “It’s none of my business who you’re suspicious of, but you’ve been glaring at Lady Rose all day. At the very least, make an effort to conceal your expressions.”

Had he really been making faces the entire time? Niles stopped to consider it for a moment before he spoke again.

“I’ll think about it,” he responded noncommittally. “For all you know, I meant to glare at her.”

Beruka scoffed, but gave no reply. Her wyvern landed near the creek and the two of them dismounted without a word. Rose and Hinoka had already landed and their mount was drinking from the small stream. Niles was about to slink off to the side to wait for everyone to finish when Rose caught his eye and motioned for him to follow her downstream.

“I know now isn’t the best time, but,” she hesitated, cheeks turning pink and averting her gaze, “I realize I must have made you uncomfortable last night and… well, I should apologize. I didn’t mean to burden you with that.”

“With what, specifically?” Niles suspected he already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from her directly.

“All of it?” she responded sheepishly, barely raising her eyes to meet his. When she saw that he wasn’t going to play along, she added, “Ok, yes, the part where I pushed the matter of… of… Gods, why does this have to be so difficult?”

“You mean where you suggested we’d been… intimate in another life,” Niles suggested and delighted in the way her face turned bright red. “If I’m to believe you, Rose, how is it that you can’t even say that much?”

“I don’t know!” she blurted out. “I don’t know why this is so embarrassing or why I can’t just-” Rose buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath. “The point I was trying make was that I shouldn’t have pressed the matter. The fact that I even had to tell you any of it should have been proof enough that you’re not the same person, but-”

“Woah, hey now. Where’s this coming from?” Niles grabbed her shoulders gently and stooped down to look her in the eye. Rose’s eyes darted around, avoiding meeting his gaze.

“I know you were listening to what Hinoka was talking about earlier.”

Well. It seemed Beruka was right. He’d never tell her as much, but it irked him that he’d been caught in the act by not one, but two people.

“You think it bothered me hearing you talk about that?”

“Didn’t it?”

Of course it had, but Niles wasn’t keen on admitting it. He had no inclination of admitting to anything at that point and held out on sheer willpower.

“Not in the slightest. My mind was elsewhere,” he reassured her, but the sentiment seemed hollow even to him. Rose didn’t seem particularly convinced, but let it go.

“Oh. Well, in any case, I didn’t mean to make it seem like I expected anything from you regarding that. I really don’t,” Rose said softly, unable to look him in the eye. Gods, she was a terrible liar. It was almost enough to make him laugh. Almost.

“Well, if you’re sure,” Niles shrugged. “I’m still going to keep an eye on you, though.”

“I really wouldn’t expect any less.” Rose smiled at him. “I’ve been kind of suspicious with this whole telling you everything and then turning around and trying to pretend it never happened thing, huh?”

“You said it, not me.”

“I’m kind of surprised you listened to the whole thing,” she admitted, leaning back on a nearby tree. “If someone came to me with a story like that, I probably wouldn’t have even listened to the first few sentences.”

“I doubt that.” Niles grinned. “You strike me as the sort of person who would stop and listen to a child who’d lost their favorite doll, even if there was nothing you could do to help.”

“I-” Rose was about to deny it, but, after thinking about it for a moment, sighed. “Yeah, probably. I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.”

“You’re a kind person. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Of course it isn’t, but,” Rose sighed, “it doesn’t make things easy.”

Niles was about to ask what she meant by that when Selena came running over. She took one look at the two of them and blushed.

“Of course. That’s why they sent me,” she grumbled. “Everyone’s ready to go when you are. Also, Lady Camilla wanted me to ask you to ride with her the rest of the way to Fort Jinya.”

“Okay, we’ll be right there,” Rose replied. “Do you mind switching, though? I know you don’t know Hinoka that well and I wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable just because Camilla wants to spend some time with me.”

Selena shook her head. “It doesn’t bother me. Besides, Lady Hinoka already said we’re just a few hours out.”

“Well, as long as you’re okay with it, I don’t mind.”

Selena nodded and ran back to the others. She didn’t seem to want to interrupt the two, even though there was hardly anything to interrupt.

“We should, um, head back, shouldn’t we?” Rose asked sheepishly as she watched Selena head over to Camilla.

“Unless you want them to assume we’re up to something naughty,” Niles answered with a suggestive grin.

“Ugh, and have that conversation with Hinoka again? I’ll pass.”

 

* * *

 

 “Ok, so, before we take off, I just want to make sure she’s going to be comfortable with you,” Hinoka explained, leading Selena to her pegasus. “She can be a bit skittish around strangers.”

Selena held out her hand and approached the pegasus slowly. “What’s her name?”

“I named her Hope.”

“Hope?” Selena turned to Hinoka with a questioning look.

“Yeah, because she was my only hope of getting Rose back,” Hinoka explained, a bit embarrassed at having said it out loud. “We’ve been together ever since I decided to learn how to fight.”

“It’s a good name,” Selena said, turning her attention back to Hope. “Hey, Hope. Don’t worry, I won’t get too close unless you want me to.”

Hope eyed her suspiciously and pawed at the ground with one hoof, but didn’t move away. Selena took a couple more cautious steps and waited to see how Hope would react. She still seemed pretty anxious, so Selena waited, watching Hope carefully. Eventually, she seemed to get used to Selena’s presence and stood still, watching her closely.

“It’s ok,” Selena called soothingly. “I’m going to get a little bit closer, ok?”

Selena took a few more steps, still holding her hand out for Hope to smell. She was close enough to touch Hope’s snout, but held perfectly still. For a few minutes, neither of them moved an inch; Selena just watched as Hope stared at her, swishing her tail. Hinoka was about to step in when Hope finally decided to reach out and nuzzle Selena’s hand.

“Wow.” Hinoka stood in awe, clearly impressed. “She’s normally really weird around strangers! It took Rose at least a week to get her to stop freaking out!”

“Heh. I guess she just likes me or something,” Selena answered with a bit of a nonchalant shrug. Hope nuzzled her again, much to Hinoka’s amazement.

“Something like that,” Hinoka agreed. “Have you, um, been around pegasi before? It kind of seems like you know what you’re doing.”

Selena’s expression softened for a moment. “A long time ago, yeah.” She laughed quietly to herself and shook her head. “Might as well be a totally different world, you know?” As soon as the words left her mouth, Selena froze, expecting Hinoka to question her. Luckily, she didn’t.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. A lot of stuff just feels like it was an entire lifetime ago.”

Selena’s shoulders relaxed and she nodded. At least no one seemed to notice her little slip up.


	4. Chapter 4

Fort Jinya was crammed with soldiers when they arrived. Rose had never seen it so full and looked to Hinoka questioningly. She’d been more involved with the troops recently than Rose and would have a better idea of what was going on.

“Guess that message got through after all,” she said with a shrug, cutting through a group of soldiers being briefed in the courtyard. She ignored the myriad of panicked greetings and pushed forward with Rose and the Nohrians close behind her. If the message had come through and Fort Jinya was full, Ryoma or Takumi had to be around, likely the main briefing room.

As they passed through the halls, Hinoka was suddenly grateful that everyone stopped to move out of the way. Before, she’d scold anyone who would listen, telling them she wasn’t special just because she happened to be a princess. It had been a matter of pride, wanting to be treated as an equal or subordinate rather than revered as a commander. She had no skill, no experience, and didn’t want treatment she didn’t deserve.

Now?

Now Hinoka was just grateful to be able to get through to the main briefing room without running into fifteen different people.

“I’ll need that report by the end of the day, sooner, if possible. Also, make sure to inform your lieutenants that our priority is clearing a path through the canyon. Help civilians if you can, but stay on objective, understood?” Hinoka heard her brother through the door and grinned. She pushed the door open slowly and motioned for the others to follow, skirting around the group of commanders gathered around. More than a handful were allies in the war and some smiled at them as they entered. “Now, about the report from-” Ryoma glanced up from the massive war table map. “We’ll continue this later. Dismissed.”

The commanders filed out, some discussing the brief in hushed voices. One of the last to leave, Kaze, paused near Rose, a strange, wistful smile on his face. He’d been one of Rose’s first allies and, arguably, the most loyal.

“It’s good to have you back, Lady Rose,” he said, clasping her shoulder a bit too firmly, as if trying to say the touch was nothing more than a friendly greeting. “I’m glad to see you are unharmed.”

“Yeah, that makes two of us,” Rose responded with an awkward laugh. “It’s good to see you again, Kaze.”

Kaze glanced back at Ryoma, who, to his credit, at least looked like he was trying to be patient, and sighed. “I’ll speak with you later.”

Before Rose could so much as nod, Kaze vanished. It was just as well, she thought, turning her attention back to Ryoma and Hinoka. That was a matter for another day.

“Rose, Hinoka, I’m so glad to see you’ve returned safely.” Ryoma smiled wearily. It was clear a second war effort was taking its toll on him; he had dark circles under his eyes and just a few more wrinkles than Rose remembered. “King Leo, I want you to know that we are doing everything we can to free Nohr from the enemy.”

Leo’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank you. We have little to offer in return, but I think I speak for all of Nohr when I say we will give whatever we can.” Leo turned to Camilla, as if asking her opinion on the matter. She simply smiled and nodded, which Rose thought odd for Camilla, but, at the same time realized it may be simply to avoid undermining his authority.

Ryoma chuckled. “Let’s just focus on getting through to your people for now.” He gestured to the map on the war table. “As of right now, we have a forward scouting unit right here,” Ryoma pointed to a spot near the Bottomless Canyon that opened into a small valley. “My retainer, Saizo, is leading a group of ninja from his clan through the valley. If all goes well, we should have a message within a fortnight.”

“I see,” Leo muttered, taking a closer look at the troop positions. “And this group here, to the south?”

“Searching for an alternate route, should the primary scouting unit fail. Kagero is leading that group.” Ryoma shuffled through a pile of papers and handed a slightly crumpled piece of parchment to Leo. “Here’s the report we received from her earlier this morning.”

Rose peered over her brother’s shoulder, reading what she could of Kagero’s report. Apparently, they’d found paths across the smaller chasms, but the main one didn’t seem to close anywhere near them. In other words, it was a dead end. She mentioned continuing to search while awaiting Ryoma’s reply.

“Yikes,” she muttered, forgetting how close she was to Leo, who nodded solemnly. Things weren’t looking good at all if Kagero’s report was any indication.

“What do you feel are her chances of success?” Leo asked, handing the report back to Ryoma.

“I couldn’t say. The cartographers assigned to her unit have only been able to send rough sketches of the area so far.”

“And that’s not enough to go off of.” Leo turned his attention back to the map. “If both paths fail, we could take this route,” he pointed to one of the small inlets, “through Cyrkensia. Have they contacted you at all?”

“Not yet. Our own messenger bird was sent only a few days ago. I hate to admit it, but right now, the only thing we can do is wait.”

Leo was afraid that might be the case. Gods help him, his people were being slaughtered and all he could do is sit comfortably in Hoshido and hope for good news. It was agonizing. He should be there, keeping them safe. That was his one job and already he was failing spectacularly. What would Xander say? What would he have done?

“Leo,” Camilla spoke softly. A gentle hand was what was needed now and Camilla was more than willing to step in for everyone’s sake. “We’ve had a long journey. Perhaps it would be wise to rest for now.”

She was right. Of course, Camilla was right. Leo looked to Niles and Odin, who had both been standing off to the side silently with Beruka and Selena. They all looked ready to fall asleep where they stood. Even Rose was teetering a bit.

“Agreed. For now, we’ll wait,” he admitted resignedly. What else could he do?

“I’ll have Yukimura prepare sleeping arrangements.” Ryoma set aside the paperwork he’d been carrying and turned to his sister. “Hinoka, could you show them to the dining hall? I need to speak with Rose for a moment.”

“Yeah, of course! Pretty sure everyone’s starving by now, huh?” Hinoka grinned cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood. “Come on, I’m pretty sure we’ve got the good chef today!”

“As long as it’s not poison,” Beruka said with a shrug.

“Or jerky,” Selena added with a disgusted shudder.

“Like I said, poison.” 

* * *

Camilla sighed into her tea for what felt like the millionth time. She couldn’t help it; the way Rose flinched with that man touched her shoulder irked her. Clearly Rose was uncomfortable and normally that would be enough to set Camilla on edge. But what bothered her more was that Rose didn’t say as much. Her sister had never been one to mask her discomfort and often made it known when something was beyond her ability to tolerate.

So why had she simply stood by and let that happen?

“Don’t tell me someone put something weird in your tea,” Hinoka said, playfully nudging Camilla.

“Oh, no, nothing like that. I’m just worried about Rose,” she confessed, setting her cup back down. “I’ve known her most of her life, but I must confess I’ve never seen her make a face like that before.”

“Oh.” Hinoka’s mood sobered quickly. “Yeah, she and Kaze used to be close, but not since, well, back during the war.”

“I know it’s not my place to pry, but,” Camilla hesitated for just a moment, “do you know why? I hate seeing her like this and not knowing what’s troubling her.”

“Huh? Oh, um,” Hinoka thought for a second before answering, “well, it was right before we met up with the Rainbow Sage-”

Niles and Leo shared a knowing glance before excusing themselves. Camilla sighed and shook her head. Those two and their secrets. She knew better than to follow, but, since it seemed to concern Rose, Camilla considered breaking her own rules just a bit.

“Oh. That might have something to do with it,” Hinoka said quietly, poking at the remnants of dinner on her plate absently. “The, uh, thing Rose got upset about the other night in camp, remember?”

Camilla did remember Rose storming off one night after a conversation with Niles and Hinoka. Admittedly, she hadn’t been paying much attention to what they’d said, but she did remember Leo asking Niles to check on her, which was odd, to say the least. But she certainly didn’t know what had caused that.

“Um, well,” Hinoka shifted in her seat, “right before we met up with the Rainbow Sage, we ran into Leo and, well…”

 

_Mud squelched under their boots as the Hoshidan army made their way through the Woods of the Forlorn. Between the dark that no spells could cut through and the smell of rotting flesh and corpses, navigating the swampy forest proved to be a serious challenge, even for a skilled ninja like Kaze. He was even having trouble keeping close to Rose, who seemed to be the only one capable of finding her way through the woods._

_They stayed close, weaving their way through low-hanging branches and toppled gravestones. More than once, Rose grabbed his hand to lead him around the poison seeping up from the ground, muttering sweet reassurances low enough for only him to hear. Though he could barely see in front of him, it was a great comfort merely having her by his side._

_Just then, a branch snapped behind them and Kaze let go of Rose’s hand to turn and face it. He didn’t have to see to know another small group of Faceless had spawned behind them._

_“Go, I’ll handle them!” he’d shouted as Rose started to double back for him. “You’re the only one who can see here! You have to reach your brother!”_

_“I’m not leaving you behind, Kaze!” she’d insisted, and that was final. Once Rose made up her mind, nothing could stop her. It was something he’d always admired about her. Maybe, once this battle was done, he’d-_

_Claws like serrated steel knives cut through Kaze’s right shoulder and, for the briefest of moments, the only thing he could think of was the pain. Then the training kicked in and his concern shifted to his now unusable right arm. He could manage with one arm, but it put him at a serious disadvantage, even more so since the Faceless seemed to be able to see his movements._

_“Kaze, are you ok?” Rose called, rushing to his side, staff at the ready. She cursed under her breath when she saw how deep the wound was. “I can’t heal this quickly, Kaze. It’ll take time.”_

_“Time is in short supply,” he pointed out, pulling Rose out of the way of one of the Faceless as it charged for her. Apparently, when they charged, they didn’t stop and Kaze breathed a sigh of relief. One less monster to deal with._

_“I can split it up, but,” Rose sighed, pulling back the torn cloth, “I can’t guarantee it won’t scar. I’m sorry.”_

_“A scar is a small price to pay.”_

_Rose grit her teeth and nodded, setting to work quickly. A burning ache replaced the sharp sting as the torn muscle and cartilage repaired itself slowly. The bleeding slowed and Kaze found himself able to focus clearly with less effort. Just a few more minutes and he’d be able to-_

_The second Faceless attacked before he knew what was happening. It went straight for Rose, snarling like some sort of feral beast. She brought up her staff to block its massive fist, but the wood snapped like a twig and Rose bore the brunt of the attack. It pushed her back, too far back for Kaze to see._

_There was no time to look for her; another Faceless came at Kaze, swinging its fists wildly. Kaze didn’t have to be able to see to know the beast was in a panic; perhaps someone else had made it through the mire to the Nohrian prince commanding them. He hoped that was the case. With their commander distracted or even defeated, the Hoshidans might stand a chance of surviving._

_The Faceless swung again, narrowly missing Kaze’s head. Again, this time swiping from the left. Then right. Another left swing. Pause. Forward. Left._

_Ah. A pattern. Kaze could work with a pattern._

_Dodging the next blow came easy. The second left swing came, as expected, and Kaze ducked down under the blow. When the inevitable pause came, he sprung up and sank his blade into the monster’s chest, digging in deep and twisting the blade with all the strength he could muster._

_The Faceless shuddered and peeled Kaze off it like an old bandage, flinging him off to the side with a gurgling roar. It staggered back, arms flailing wildly at its sides before falling over with a final groan._

_Kaze’s relief, however, was short-lived. As he pulled his blade from the rapidly decaying corpse, a familiar shriek pierced the dark. Rose._

_“Someone, please! Anyone! I can’t-”_

_Another scream came, louder and-_

_No! Kaze tore through the dark, relentless even as stray branches snapped in his face. He had to reach her, had to make sure she was safe!_

_Just ahead, Kaze could see dim blue flames, dulled by whatever magic stole the light from the woods. He’d seen them before; Rose must have transformed at some point since the flames were hers. Yet, as he neared the blaze, there was no dragon._

_Only Rose, hunched over and sobbing, kissing a strange man’s forehead, apologizing feverishly._

 

Camilla stared into her tea, which had long since gone cold. She could certainly see the reason for Kaze’s behavior, but Rose was becoming increasingly difficult to understand. Camilla was no fool; she knew her sister had changed since choosing Hoshido. But the thought that she had secrets that stretched so far troubled Camilla far more than she would admit.


	5. Chapter 5

Even hours after Ryoma’s lecture, Rose’s mind was spinning. He meant well, of course, and she couldn’t quite argue with his reasoning. But being told to stand back from the war effort was infuriating. Rose couldn’t tell them how, but she _knew_ the enemy. She knew the world they came from, even if that left her with more questions than answers.

If only Azura was still alive.

Rose shuddered against the wind that cut through the flimsy cotton robe she wore. She adored the pattern of roses and scattered petals and it was infinitely more comfortable than her armor. But, at the same time, she felt almost as though she was wearing nothing at all. Like everything in Hoshido, it was just so light. Even the stars seemed brighter.

“Lady Rose. Shouldn’t you be resting?”

Rose turned, startled, to see Kaze standing beside her. How long had he been there? Rose made a mental note to keep track of her surroundings better. She used to be able to tell when Kaze was trying to sneak up on her. Things certainly had changed since the last time she saw him.

“I was just-” Rose yawned. Busted. She grinned sheepishly up at Kaze. “Yeah, probably. What brings you up here?”

“The view,” Kaze answered simply, gesturing to the starlit landscape. “It’s calming.”

“Yeah. Hard to believe we’ve managed to get ourselves stuck in another war, huh?” Rose sighed, turning her eyes up at the sky again wearily.

“It seems peace is much easier in theory than reality,” Kaze agreed. “Though we’ll stand a better chance with your help.”

“Ah, about that. Ryoma wants me to work tactics from the rear rather than out in the field with everyone else.” Rose winced as her words came out far more bitter than she’d intended. She’d convinced herself that she could manage to at least appear to agree with the decision as far as everyone else was concerned. Clearly, she’d have trouble even doing that.

“Is it…?” Kaze asked hesitantly. He knew, of course, why Ryoma had moved her to the sidelines. He’d seen it firsthand.

“Yeah. I haven’t had an episode in a long time, but, well,” Rose shrugged. “Can’t have a liability out there, you know?”

“No one sees you as a liability, Rose,” Kaze reasoned. “We just want you to stay safe.”

“I know,” she conceded. “Shigure’s still trying to find a way to help, so it’s not like no one’s doing anything. And I want everyone else to be safe, too. The thought that I could lose myself to this-” Rose shuddered. She would not have another incident like the Woods of the Forlorn. “I can’t do that to anyone else.”

Kaze sighed. “Is that why you haven’t spoken about him yet? By now, I expected…” He smiled softly to himself and shook his head. “Well, I hoped you had changed your mind about approaching him.”

“Niles? Kaze, you know I can’t-” Rose started, ready to dive into her usual spiel about how she wouldn’t corner Niles in a relationship he didn’t want. Then she remembered that she’d already told him everything and fell silent.

Kaze watched her, his expression unreadable for a few moments as he studied her reaction. His smile spread when he realized what her silence meant.

“You told him?”

Rose nodded, cheeks ablaze.

“Everything?”

Another nod.

“I’m assuming,” Kaze glanced at Rose pointedly, “that it went well?”

Rose scoffed and shook her head. “I don’t think he quite believes me yet. Which,” she added, “makes sense. I wouldn’t believe it, either.”

Kaze hummed in agreement. He seemed as if he had something to say, but instead turned his attention back to the starlit countryside. Rose watched him for a moment, wondering what he wanted to tell her. When it became apparent Kaze meant to keep his thoughts to himself, Rose continued.

“But, anyway, I wouldn’t hold my breath on anything, um, happening between the two of us.”

“Did he..?”

“Turn me down? Not exactly?” Rose sighed and brushed her bangs back from her eyes. “I kind of told him not to worry about it? As in, you know, I don’t want him to think he _has_ to act on any of that just because I mentioned it.”

Kaze nodded, but still looked like he had something to say.

“Is… there something wrong?”

“This isn’t my place, but,” Kaze took a deep breath and turned to Rose, “are you sure it’s wise to simply leave this decision in his hands alone?”

“What?”

“You’ve effectively told him that this is a matter of whether he’s interested,” he explained. “And I know you. You’ve probably avoided showing any interest so you don’t force his hand.”

Was she really such an open book? Rose _had_ been trying not to overwhelm Niles. She figured it wasn’t entirely unreasonable to give him some space; her story was ridiculous, at best. Plus, he didn’t seem to have an issue with it when they spoke earlier that day.

“I have,” she admitted. “But what else could I do?”

Kaze smiled and patted her shoulder gently. “Start with what you’re best at. Listen.”

 

* * *

 

Several hours passed before Rose decided to go back and attempt to get some sleep. She’d mulled over her conversation with Kaze and tried, in vain, to come to some sort of conclusion. All she’d done, in the end, was think circles around the problem.

In other words, Rose was getting nowhere fast.

So, she made her way down from the eastern ramparts, drowsy and frustrated, past guards making their rounds who waved sleepily, and through to the inner courtyard. It was half-lit by the stars, bits of light reflecting off the pond in the far corner. Rose stood and watched from the edge of the outer walkway, mesmerized by the way the reflection danced against the courtyard walls.

“Can’t sleep?”

Rose jumped at the voice beside her and swore under her breath. That was the second time someone had startled her like that. She didn’t need to look to know that it was Niles.

“Well, I won’t be able to now,” she grumbled, one hand on her chest in a feeble attempt to soothe her pounding heart. “What are you doing up? Another nightma-” Rose stopped mid-sentence, realizing too late that was a boundary she shouldn’t cross. Even when they’d been married, Niles was reluctant to talk about his nightmares; they were bitter reminders of a past he said he’d rather leave behind. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Well, if you’re that curious,” Niles gestured to the edge of the walkway, “you might want to be sitting down. It’s not exactly pleasant conversation material.”

Was he… really offering to tell her? Rose stared, mouth hanging agape slightly, before coming to her senses.

“Only if you’re sure you’re ok with talking about it,” she said, stepping over the side of the ledge to sit down.

“You told me your story,” Niles replied with a shrug, easing himself onto the ground next to Rose. His own robe, a dark blue with white vertical stripes, started to ride up and, when he noticed Rose pointedly averting her eyes, Niles grinned.

“Don’t even say it,” Rose huffed, smoothing her collar. “I know, I know. ‘It shouldn’t bug me.’ ‘I’m not making it any easier to believe me.’ I know.”

“A bit defensive, aren’t you?” Niles teased, scooting closer.

“Am not!” she pouted. “Besides, I thought we were talking about you tonight.”

“And what if I wanted to hear more about you instead?”

“Doubt it.”

“You never know,” Niles stretched his arms up toward the ceiling, “you might be the most interesting person I’ve met.”

“Now I _know_ that’s a lie. There’s still Odin, remember?” Rose snickered. “It’s hard to be more interesting than someone who named a loaf of stale bread because it was used in a fight.”

“He did?” Niles raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I mean, it was, you know, from before,” Rose explained. “We’d just met, mind you. Fathe-, um, King Garon sent me to deal with the Ice Tribe’s rebellion.”

Niles nodded.

“Naturally, they didn’t take to the idea very well, not that I blame them, and, well, we ended up having to fight them.” Rose took a deep breath, remembering the look of betrayal on Flora’s face when she’d heard why Rose was really there. She’d squashed the memory down so many times that moving on felt as natural as breathing. Assuming, of course, breathing was supposed to ache like that. “In any case, Silas’s sword broke in the middle of the fight and, I kid you not, he grabbed this stale old baguette and starts whacking people with it.”

“Wait, our Silas? Career military Silas? Couldn’t find a sense of humor if it bit him?”

Rose blinked, then remembered that Silas had returned to Nohr after the war. Not entirely willingly, if she remembered correctly.

“The very same. But here’s the kicker,” Rose continued, stifling her own laughter. “Later, Odin decides every weapon used in that fight needed a name. You know, because it’s a shame not to honor the blades and such. And you know how his naming skills are.”

“Nonexistent.”

“Yeah. And that’s how we ended up with Dark Maelstrom, The Yeasty.”

Niles just shook his head. “That should surprise me. In a normal world, that would surprise me.”

“Right? But it’s Odin and that’s just…”

“Completely normal,” they said in unison before bursting into laughter.

Oh. Oh, Rose missed that. Hearing Niles laugh, _really laugh_ , flipped her world upside down. Or, rather, set it right side up. If she closed her eyes and pushed everything else away, it could be like before. He’d pull her close with that devilish grin of his and whisper something that would make her blush. She’d bury her head in the crook of his neck, like always, and-

“Hey, you ok?”

Rose blinked. Niles was staring at her, a mixture of concern and amusement on his face. Oh no. What did she do while she was spacing out? What awful, embarrassing thing had she done while daydreaming?

“Oh, yeah, I’m, uh,” Rose chuckled weakly, “I’m great. Just great.”

“Your face went redder than your hair.” Niles grinned. “You weren’t having any naughty thoughts, were you?”

“W-why would you even go there? Literally what would make you think I was-”

“You’re not denying it.”

“I don’t have to!”

Niles leaned closer, close enough that Rose could feel his breath on her lips. Gods help her, this wasn’t what she’d planned. The rational part of her was screaming to back away, to slip away back to her room and forget about the whole matter. She could clear her head, approach the situation with a level head, plan and scheme her way to the best possible outcome. Everything could be fine if she just backed away.

But the part of her that fell for Niles so long ago was screaming for his touch. It begged for a lapse in good judgement, just for a moment. If a single kiss ruined everything between them, so be it. She could bear it if only he came a bit closer. Whatever chaos came of it was worthwhile if only he would just-

“Gods, you’re something else,” Niles muttered, brushing Rose’s bangs out of her face, calloused fingertips barely touching her skin. “You’re really, really just,” he sighed and shook his head, “something else.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Rose confessed quietly, as if that would make anything better.

“Oh?” Niles leaned closer, his face inches from Rose. He watched her eyes, followed as they flitted around watching him. He could lose himself in that alone, drowning in the adoration. It seemed impossible that someone could look at him, of all people, with that kind of longing, and yet there she was.

“I was just thinking that I loved hearing you laugh like that before.” Rose bit her bottom lip. “I just liked seeing you happy. I know things were, well-”

Before she could finish her thought, Niles’s lips were on hers, hesitant, but needy. It only took a second for the shock to wear off enough that Rose thought to reach up and cup his cheek. Gods, he was so warm. How had she forgotten how warm he was? Or how rough his skin was along his jaw, even though she knew he shaved?

How could she forget how utterly lost to the world she felt when her chest pressed against his and all his warmth was hers? Rose thought she remembered, thought she knew enough of him to keep the memory alive but memories couldn’t bring the sweetness of the moment to life like this. This was entirely different.

Too soon, Niles pulled away, breathless and flushed. Neither of them had wanted to stop and, were it not for the necessity of breathing, would have stayed like that the rest of the night.

“Is that what you had in mind?” Niles whispered.

“That was-” Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. “That was more than I’d dared to hope for. Are you sure you-”

“I don’t know.” He rested his forehead against hers. Everything seemed uncertain, but Niles didn’t want to doubt this. If there was anything good left in the world, anything worth fighting for and protecting, he wanted to try.


	6. Chapter 6

Morning came far too quickly for Niles. For the first time in recent memory, he’d slept through the night without a single dream. It was so rare that he considered, for just a moment, forgetting his responsibilities as the king’s retainer and going back to sleep. Then he remembered that he not only had to ensure Leo had everything he needed, but also to check on Odin and make sure he was awake, too.

Sometimes he wondered just what Leo had seen in Odin as a retainer.

Niles dressed quickly. There was only maybe an hour before dawn and, though the Hoshidan king had made it clear there was nothing they could do but wait, he knew Leo would be plotting some way to help. Though the Windmire slums he’d grown up in certainly deserved to burn, Niles had reluctantly come to agree that not all of Nohr was the same as that hell. There were, loathe as he was to admit it, innocents who did not deserve to suffer.

As he made his way through the halls, sleepy soldiers, some in lopsided armor that appeared to have been donned in the dark, gave him small nods of acknowledgement. Niles suspected they’d been training until well into the night. Some were grizzled veterans while others looked green enough to barely know the blade from the hilt of a sword.

The war had devastated the Nohrian army, but now Niles could see that even the Hoshidans hadn’t come out unscathed. Their forces were hobbled compared to the years they’d been his enemy.

Niles didn’t want to admit it, but that thought unnerved him.

Out in the hallway, near Odin’s room, Niles could make out a muffled argument. A voice he recognized as Selena’s came through clearer as he leaned against the wall. He’d never known the two to be close and it was odd for Odin to have anyone in his room this early, let alone a woman.

“Look, I get it! We messed up! But we can’t go back home now! I wouldn’t be able to look Mother in the eye if we came back without Laslow.”

Laslow? Xander’s retainer? He’d gone missing after Leo’s coronation, and though most suspected he was gone for good, Niles had heard rumors that someone matching his description was now a dancer in Cyrkensia. The rumors, of course, also mentioned that the dancer was a woman. Niles hadn’t followed up on any of them, of course, since there was no need to drag Laslow back as far as he knew.

“What if we didn’t use it to go home?”

“What are you talking about, Odin? What else would we use it for?” Selena sounded impatient, as though the entire discussion was a waste of her time.

“Remember when he first gave it to us? He said it could be used to travel back in time, too.”

That caught Niles’s attention. Rose had mentioned something about going back in time. Did Odin and Selena know? Had she told them as well?

“Odin, I don’t know if that would help. We can’t waste it on something like that.”

Odin mumbled something Niles couldn’t hear and Selena groaned.

“I know! I know we messed this all up!” she fumed. “But it’s not like we can just tell everyone! Even if they believed us, there’s that stupid curse, remember?”

A curse? Rose definitely hadn’t mentioned a curse. Niles was beginning to suspect the two situations were, in fact, unrelated when a hand gripped his shoulder.

“It’s not polite to eavesdrop, Niles,” Leo said quietly from behind him.

“King Leo.” Niles turned around and was about to kneel when Leo shook his head.

“That’s not necessary, especially not here.” Leo looked over his shoulder. “I’ve been dealing with these soldiers dropping everything since I stepped outside. It’s exhausting.”

“You should be used to that by now, your majesty,” Niles replied with a grin. “It’s been, oh, three years since the coronation?”

“Don’t remind me.” Leo motioned for Niles to follow him through the hallway. “In any case, I ran into Rose earlier.”

“Oh?”

“She seemed much more cheerful than usual,” he continued. “Practically skipping through the halls. I’ve never even seen her awake this early, much less that energetic.”

“I see.” Niles resisted a grin, knowing full well why Rose was so giddy. If a kiss was all it took to get her that excited, what would-

“It’s not my place to question what Rose does, but,” Leo stopped and gave Niles a sharp glare, “if I so much as hear that you’ve hurt her.” He didn’t need to finish the thought for Niles to get the gist. “That said, she seems happy and that’s enough for me. Have you considered-”

“Ah. I see where this is going.” Niles sighed.

“I know you well, Niles. And I know Rose better than most. If the two of you are-”

“This is too painful to listen to. You don’t have to worry, Leo. We slept separately last night.” Rose, for all her eagerness, had remained level-headed enough to suggest they not share a bed. He’d been disappointed, naturally, but Niles had to admit it was the wisest course of action.

“Y-yes, well, there may come a day when the two of you do and-”

“And, if that day comes, you’ll be the first to know,” Niles cut him off with a grin.

Leo groaned. “Gods, you’re an ass.”

“You knew this when you chose me as your retainer, King Leo.”

 

* * *

  
By mid-afternoon, most of Rose’s good cheer had thoroughly worn off. She’d been delegated to training new recruits and, while most seemed familiar enough with the basic swings and stances, Rose found they had little concept of situational awareness. Which meant, of course, she’d have to keep exploiting that until someone finally caught on.

Or until training was over for the morning.

“Ok, did everyone see what I did there?” Rose called after knocking another recruit backwards into a bush. A couple of coughs and blank stares. Of course. “Alright, I’m going to go through the motions again this time, but slower so you can see what-”

A shout erupted from behind Rose. What in the world-

“Another bullseye for Prince Takumi!”

Oh. Well, that was strange. Takumi generally wasn’t one for showing off, especially in front of large crowds. Why was he-

“And a miss for the challenger from Nohr!”

“Did you hear that?” one recruit whispered.

“Challenger from Nohr? Who would even think of challenging Prince Takumi?”

“Right? Even-”

Another shout came from the gathered crowd. Rose knew better than to try to keep their attention with all the excitement and reluctantly sheathed her training blade.

“All right, I can see you’re all anxious to see Takumi’s archery. Make sure to put your practice blades away-” a couple of them started towards the blade rack preemptively “-properly and that’ll be it for the morning. We’ll come back after lunch, understood?”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Good. Fall out!”

Rose grit her teeth at the clattering of steel as the recruits rushed to put up their weapons. She could hear them bickering, a couple barking orders at others to come back and pick up their mess or else they’d be doing laps all afternoon. They weren’t wrong. Rose certainly wasn’t as harsh an instructor as Takumi or Hinoka, but she was no pushover and the recruits knew it.

“Um, Lady Rose.”

“Hmm?” Rose turned to find one of her more attentive, if quiet, recruits, a young village woman named Yui, fidgeting anxiously.

“I was wondering if, um, we were going to be going over this again later,” she said quietly, meeting Rose’s eyes and looking away over and over again. “I think I know what you meant, but, well, everyone’s saying we’re going to war again soon and I don’t want to die because I don’t know something and-”

“Ok, first, take a deep breath,” Rose said, motioning for her to follow along in a slow, deep inhale. She took a deep breath, held it, and exhaled slowly. “Now. I’m not going to let any of you on the battlefield unless you know how to watch your surroundings. That’s a promise. We have plenty of soldiers, veterans of the war with Nohr who can fight until you’re ready.”

“But what if they need us? What if the enemy’s too strong or there’s too many or-”

“Listen. I promise you, if that happens, I’ll be fighting right alongside you, ok? I’ll watch your back if you’ll watch mine.”

“Of course I will! I just,” the recruit sighed, “I’m no good for this kind of life. I’m a farmer’s wife. We lived in a village just a bit south of here. I know more about planting herbs and vegetables than swinging a sword, you know?”

Well, that sounded familiar. “You know who else was just like that?”

Yui shook her head.

“Lady Mozu, Prince Takumi’s wife.”

“O-oh, but I could never-” she stammered, blushing bright red at the mention of Takumi’s wife. Mozu had been something of a legend among nearby villages; everyone knew about the girl whose village was destroyed by Faceless, who became a fierce and respected warrior as well as the love of Takumi’s life.

“Yes, you could. I mean, obviously my brother’s married already, so not that, but,” Rose grinned, “anyone has the power to make themselves great if they want to! But I guess that’s entirely up to you.”

“I do want to get better, I just,” she fidgeted a bit more, avoiding meeting Rose’s gaze, “don’t know if I have enough time to get good enough. I heard some of the officers talking yesterday and they were saying we might be reassigned to the border in a week! How am I going to get good enough in a week?”

“Well, if you want, we could practice extra this evening,” Rose offered. “After dinner, meet me out here and we’ll go over some basic maneuvers again, ok?” Yui nodded and smiled in thanks, though she still seemed pretty anxious. “Ok, go put your sword away and get some lunch. Can’t practice on an empty stomach, right?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

When the last recruit had left for the dining hall, Rose allowed her composure to slip with a heavy sigh. She didn’t want to think about it, but there was a very real chance many of her charges would not survive a real battle. It was foolish, but a small part of her couldn’t help wondering if she’d be able to keep them safe if Ryoma would let her on the field instead. Sure, there was always the chance she would lose control, but-

“At least that one hit the target!”

“Man, where did the Nohrians pick this guy up?”

“Can he even see the target?”

“How does he aim with just one-”

That snapped Rose out of her thoughts. It wasn’t hard to figure out who they were talking about and, while she doubted Niles would take offense, Rose certainly did. Before she could reach the crowd gathered around the nearby archery range, another voice called out.

“Hey! Don’t talk smack unless you can do better! Any of you wimps wanna challenge my brother? Go right ahead!” Hinoka shouted.

“Don’t bug Takumi with these guys, sis! I can take ‘em!” Rose flexed with a playful grin.

Takumi loosed an arrow, striking his target dead center. “Hah! You’d better! No sister of mine would lose to some greenhorn that can’t even string their own bow!”

Niles turned around and grinned at Rose over the crowd. Or was he mocking the loud group of recruits that had insulted him? From the distance, Rose couldn’t quite tell. Niles nocked an arrow drew, appearing to aim carefully before releasing his shot. It landed with a thud in the upper right corner of the target, outside the rings. He’d thrown the shot. Had he done that with the others? Why?

“I think I’ve seen enough.” Takumi set aside the training bow he’d been using. “The rest of you, break’s over!

“Alright, show’s over! Back to work!” barked one of the older officers whose name Rose couldn’t recall. “Anyone still here in the next ten seconds is getting toilet duty!”

No one had to be told twice. The recruits all but broke out into a run trying to get out, some nearly crashing into Rose on their way. She couldn’t exactly blame them. Toilet duty was the actual worst.

“Well, that could’ve gone better. Sorry you had to deal with that,” Takumi apologized once the last of the recruits disappeared.

Niles shrugged, toying with the string of his bow. “I’ve dealt with worse. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Still, it couldn’t be easy to-”

“I did what I had to do, milord,” Niles insisted. “I’d rather they think me incompetent than you.”

“You think you would’ve bested me?” Takumi scoffed. “Prove it.”

“As you wish.” Just like that, Niles’s playful demeanor vanished. In one fluid motion, he nocked another arrow and drew. After a brief pause, he let it fly and hit dead center.

“Lucky shot.”

Niles fired again and again, but Takumi was only satisfied after another five hit the middle of the target. For him, Rose noted, that was generous. When he’d taught her before, Takumi had insisted on fifty consecutive bulls eyes before declaring her a reasonably talented archer.

In other words, Rose still hadn’t earned his seal of approval.

“I’ll admit, you’re more skilled than you let on. But I am curious. How-”

“How can I aim with my right eye gone?” Niles smirked. “That’s a rather intrusive question, milord, considering even King Leo refuses to speak of it.”

“I-it is not! It’s a valid question!” Takumi stammered, refusing to back down. “I only ask because it seems difficult to aim that way.”

“It was,” Niles replied with a stiff, forced shrug. “But there are things more traumatic than having to practice a little extra, no? It happened when I was pretty young, so I don’t really remember much of what it was like to have two eyes.”

“Jeez, don’t pull any punches, Niles.” Rose nudged him in the side as if to tell him to tone it down just a bit. Niles, of course, was not having that at all.

“What, you don’t want to hear the story? It’s quite riveting, I assure you.”

“Wait, so now you actually want to tell me?” Takumi nearly shouted, clearly getting frustrated. “Make up your mind!”

“I never said that.”

Rose groaned. Niles was never going to let it go with Takumi getting all riled up like that. There was only one way to get the two of them to drop it.

“I hate to interrupt, but I need to borrow Niles, big brother. We have some things to discuss before the afternoon training session,” Rose explained, hooking her arm around Niles’s in a slightly possessive display. Takumi looked from Niles to her then back to Niles, his frustration giving way to confusion. “I’ll talk to you later, ok? I promise.”

Takumi looked like he wanted to argue and Niles had gone strangely silent, but Rose counted it as a victory while she still could.


End file.
